First Time Home Buyers are still looking for solid advice and guidance, learning how to buy a home in Arlington MA or any surrounding area. All are invited to attend the January 26 First Time Home Buyer Seminar, presented by Dream Home Arlington and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Learn HOW to buy a home before you find your Dream Home!

• When: Wednesday January 26
• Time: 7 – 8:30pm
• Where: Bowes GMAC Real Estate Office – 1010 Mass Ave, Arlington
• Cost: Free!

Packed with insider knowledge of home-buying, timely information about the local Arlington and Middlesex County real estate market, and financing guidance, this is a “how-to” persons dream come true. We’ll cover home-buying in a step by step process, from establishing your Arlington Dream Home criteria, through Financing and pre-approvals, to Open Houses, Offers, Inspections, and on to Closing Day.

Taught by Arlington’s finest First Time Home Buyer Specialists (Realtor and ABR Bija Satterlee from Bowes GMAC Real Estate) and Mike Tanionos (Senior Lender, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage), you will discover:

• How to get a “good buy” on your first house or condo in Arlington
• How to identify and find the house or condo of your dreams
• How to get the best Financing and interest rate for your Arlington MA home purchase
• How to get the advantages of having a dedicated Buyers Agent
• How to make your Offer stand out from other Buyers, and more!

We have already seen plenty of buyers scouring the limited inventory of homes for sale in Arlington and surrounding areas like Lexington, Medford, Bemont and Cambridge. NOW is a great time to become a savvy buyer. Register for the January 26 First Time Home Buyer Seminar now. And the best part? It’s free!

Read Testimonials of some of our Seminar graduates!

email bija@dreamhomearlington.com to register for the Seminar. Seating limited, Register Today!

The SMART people were out buying homes in Arlington in 2009! All year the media was doom and gloom, so it was almost embarrassing to be telling people “we are having a GREAT YEAR in Arlington real estate.” By the end of ’09 the total number of sales in Arlington was 496, compared to 482 in 2008.  And the average sale price of a single family home had stayed essentially THE SAME.

First Time Home Buyers did especially well with the Stimulus Tax Credit of $8,000.  They were able to lock in interest rates at historic lows (below 5%), and sellers were motivated to sell, partly due to all the uncertainty, and fear prices would be dropping further.  The numbers show clearly that the market has stabilized for now in Arlington.

Want to know the cheapest and most expensive homes of 2009?

2009 Single Family homes (246 sales), the least expensive home: $252,000 (69 Sunnyside) with 74 days on market. The MOST expensive single family home sold in Arlington sold for $1,009,597. (2-A Colonial Drive). New Construction. Average Sale Price for Single Family Homes was $510,000.

2009 Condos (246 sales), the least expensive one sold for $102,000 (11 Old Colony Lane U3). The most expensive condo was 57 Winter Street, and sold for $678,000, also new construction. Average Sale Price for Condos was $350,000.

2009 Multi Families (37 sales), the least expensive one was 106 Paul Revere Road, a two unit (one bedroom each) house, selling for $295K. The most expensive multi family to sell in Arlington was 11-13 Pierce Street, selling for $700,000. Average Sale Price for Multi Family Homes was $519,000.

Sales accelerated in the last two months of the year, which was amazing! In 2008 November and December combined had 46 sales – typical for that time of year. This year there were 94 sales in the same time period. Spectacular numbers, for anyone counting!

See Recent Home Sales in Arlington MA here.

So what’s up with Arlington Real Estate in 2010?? With mortgage rates that are still historically low, homes priced affordably, and the home buyer tax credit, we should see another great year of activity and great deals for home buyers. According to projections from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), sales of existing homes are expected to increase by more than 10% next year. In addition, median home prices will move a little higher. Forecasts from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and from Fannie Mae are generally consistent with the outlook from the MBA.

If YOU have been considering “getting out of renting” then hopefully those pioneers of 2009 who have blazed the trail have shown it is a great time to buy real estate. Learn more about it at a First Time Home Buyer Seminar, or contact me directly to discuss your goals and questions. In the mean time, start dreaming up the details of your Dream Home!